Chromium
by Blacksmith Omniverse
Summary: Jonathan Marcellus used to be the heir to the greatest superheroes Earth had ever seen. But when fate robs him of his home and family, can he overcome his past to protect the planet Remnant form a threat unlike any the world has ever seen?
1. Goodbye To A World

A group of colorfully costumes men and women waved out to a crowd from a stage in front of a beautiful marble building.

The crowd cheered as a man in a costume of a gray shirt with a rounded square containing the chemical symbol for manganese and black pants stepped up to a podium to begin a speech.

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen, to the 2048 Justice Alliance induction ceremony. I'd like to thank all of you for coming out to show your support of our little band of heroes, and all of you at home for tuning in."

A cheer went up from the crowd, and the man, Manganese, smiled at them.

"As you know, the original purpose of the alliance was to provide a sort of safety net for the heroes amongst its ranks. Should any of us face a threat that is too great for one hero, we'll have allies to call upon for aid. Since those days, it's become something more. A symbol of hope and unity for the world and other heroes.

"This year we welcome three heroes whom we feel embody the ideals we stand for. So without further ado, we present you with this year's Alliance Initiates!"

A woman in a white bodysuit and cape with a prismatic letter "P" on it stepped up beside the man, taking over the speech and introducing the initiates to the crowd.

"Funnel-Web."

A man in a brown spandex suit with black spiderweb designs on the shoulders and hips and the silhouette of a spider's head overlapping his own with large white eyes approached the stage as his name was called. He shook hands with Photon as he took his new Alliance ID card, and golden flight ring from her.

She smiled at him and read the next name.

"Sir Dinadan."

An older man dressed in shining armor came up to the stage and shook hands with her as well, before taking his place beside Funnel-Web.

"Horseman."

This time it was a young man around eighteen who stood up. He wore a brown jacket over a black shirt, a black bandanna to hide his face, and strapped to his right hip (over a faded pair of blue jeans) was a leather holster that held a silver gun. He bumped fists with a girl in a similar outfit of white and blue, and walked up to the stage like the others.

"And lastly, Chromium."

Jonathan stood up, dressed in an all grey jumpsuit with a black bet with a silver buckle. He approached the stage and shook his mother's hand.

He'd waited nearly nine years for this moment, and now that it was here he was beside himself with joy.

"You've earned this." She whispered to him.

He smiled so wide he thought his face might split in two. He saw his fellow sidekicks sitting in the front row waving him on, and felt a small pang of guilt cross his mind. He would apologize to them later, but for now he would just enjoy the moment.

The area began to slowly darken around the stage, as if a cloud had passed over the sun.

Manganese turned to the supers who could control the weather.

"I thought you guys were keeping it clear today?"

Photon began to say a few words to the crowd about each of the new member's accomplishments.

A woman in the crowd looked up at what was casting the shadow and screamed. Everyone else turned to look too, and quickly began dreading what they saw.

A large ship was hovering above the city, panels opened on the sides and released millions of humanoid figures in white and red armor.

The gathered heroes took off with their respective powers and began to fend off the attack.

Manganese took charge immediately.

"Chromium, Thunderstorm! You two set up a safe zone for civilians inside HQ. Grid and Motherboard, these things look mechanical, try and find a weakness. Everyone else, I don't know who these aliens think they're dealing with, but let's show these ET's why they should've stayed home!"

With a mighty battle cry he leapt into the air and grabbed the nearest invader by the collar. He spun around and threw him into a nearby cluster of invaders who were attacking Dinadan.

He then flew to join his wife, who was currently blasting the armored attackers with technicolor beams of light. He rammed into one that was about to get her from behind. Photon grinned at her husband, and the two prepared to take on the next wave.

Meanwhile, Jonathan was running through the city at Mach one looking for any sign of civilians with his infrared and x-ray vision. He spotted one couple about to be crushed by falling debris from the battle above. He sped up and snatched the pair out of the way, not slowing down until he reached the barricade in front of the Alliance HQ. He set them down and motioned towards the door.

"You should be safe here."

They nodded and thanked him before running inside.

He was about to take off again, when a blue and red blur went hurtling past his head. He looked at where it landed and recognized the figure of Thunderstorm rising from the ground next to a small dent in the wall. He sped over and helped her up.

"Are you okay?"

She snorted at the question. "Not the first wall I've been thrown into."

A low growl came from behind them and they turned to face it.

A four armed figure standing eight feet tall and dressed in all black armor was charging at them. They tried to dodge him, but his arms shot out and brought them into each other. Hard.

Thunderstorm was knocked out cold, and Jonathan could feel the telltale fog of a concussion in his own mind. He tried to hit the creature with a photon blast, but it just dodged and brought its fist down hard on Jonathan's face, knocking him unconscious.

Jonathan stared at the ceiling as he lay prone on the ground. He felt cold and disoriented, and for some strange reason he could no longer see outside of the visible light spectrum. He recognised the sensation of his hair being pushed to the side of his face in a motion he'd felt numerous times throughout his childhood.

"They captured us. This cell must have something that dampens our powers, I can't project through the window, or tunnel through the door."

He recognized the voice as his mother's, and realized his head was being cradled in her lap.

"And I can't manipulate the door." Said his father, Manganese, from behind them.

Jonathan shook his head trying to clear his mind.

"What do they want?"

"An excellent question." Said a voice from outside. "Let me explain."

A man in a black bodysuit with purple highlights running along the sides of his torso and outer thighs, with a dark blue cape trailing behind him, and a black helmet with a purple visor strode into the hall between the cells.

"My name is Norra Sullecram, I run an organization that is dedicated to accessing the creation of all things. Unfortunately, doing this will require a substantial amount of power, so I have scoured the omniverse in search of powerful beings.

"Congratulations, I've chosen your world to aid in that goal."

He made a motion with the large battle axe in his left hand. Screens appeared on the walls of the cells, showing the planet below. A large beam of orange light hurtled towards the Earth. A blinding flash emanated from the planet, and when it subsided nothing remained.

The heroes stood in silence, some fell to their knees, others stood frozen in place, but all were to scared to say anything.

Suddenly a roar came from Manganese and he charged the door. There was an ear splitting noise as the metal was torn apart and two of the world's most powerful heroes were freed.

Manganese charged at Norra intent on taking him out, while Photon made for the cell controls and released the remaining supers.

They rushed from their prisons to help their friend, but stopped short as they saw his body hit the floor.

The man in purple removed his axe from Manganese's skull and absorbed the silver aura that was released from the wound through the purple gemstone that sat in his axe head. He smirked at them and motioned towards himself tauntingly.

The heroes charged, filled with righteous fury at the death of their friend, and their planet. Many were prepared to break their vows of non lethality for the atrocities they'd just witnessed, others swore to let him live so that they could inflict such pain on him for the rest of his life.

Regardless of their intent for him the man stood with confidence, he knew it didn't matter

The battle was over in seconds, and the axe wielder stood amongst the hundreds of corpses that now lined the hall between himself and Jonathan. Fear coursed through every inch of the boy's body before he turned and ran out of the room. He didn't know where he was going, he just wanted to get away.

He moved through halls and quantum tunneled through walls until he could run no further. He stumbled and landed in front of a console that was connected to an orb of pulsating energy in a tube.

"Now now, let's not be a spoilsport."

The man had somehow followed him. He swaggered towards Jonathan with a hungry gleam in his visor.

"After all, I only save the most rewarding kills for last."

With a crazy glint in his eye, Norra hurtled his axe at Jonathan with to deal the killing blow. But Jonathan ducked and the weapon smashed into the console instead.

"What have you done!?" Shouted Norra.

The sadistic man fled the battle, as sirens began blaring throughout the room.

Somewhere, Jonathan heard a gunshot ring out, and a loud yell. He saw bodies in white and red fall from the catwalks above him, and idly thought he was glad to be taking some of these monsters with him.

There was blinding flash of red light, and then, nothing.

* * *

**Howdy Y'all! I'm back. I took a long time to look at the characters I wanted to write about, and the characters I think could work within the context of the RWBY universe, and I think this is going to be a good fit. I have no idea if I'll actually manage to keep this one alive, but I think it'll be a story I'm comfortable leaving up.**

**I'm considering making a companion piece to this ala WoR to give background to Jonathan's world, so if Y'all are interested speak up.**

**If you have any advice for how I can improve my writing style, please let me know. Thank you for reading, and I'll talk to Y'all next time.**


	2. Little Lost Boy

Aureolin let out a long shaky breath as he stood up from his kneeling position. He wiped the tears from his right eye, his left being mechanical due to an accident years ago. Sofi couldn't stand to even be here, and he understood: when you lose your child, a part of you dies with them.

He looked back to the headstone, and then to the two empty plots of land to its left. They'd bought those years ago so if anything ever happened during a mission he and Sofi could be buried beside each other. He never imagined he'd have to buy a third.

He shoved his gloved hands into the pockets of his black leather jacket, and turned to leave the graveyard.

Overall it was a nice spring day, birds sang their little compositions from their hidden nests in the tall pine trees that cast playful shadows willing to harbor weary mourners from the cheery afternoon sun.

A soft breeze rustled his dark greying hair, and as he walked to his car, he idly wished he could summon a cloud or two to make today a little more somber. It shouldn't have been so bright, not when his son sat six feet underground. But, he supposed, the weather didn't care for such things.

An odd noise drew him from his thoughts. It sounded like the whirring of a generator if it were submerged in syrup. He looked around for the source, walking in the direction it seemed to come from.

He barely had enough time to recognize the shrapnel coming his way, and dove out of the way. As he did, he noticed a larger object sailing past him that was notably less jagged and lethal. Coming out of his roll, he turned to look at the bigger object and realized it was a person.

He ran over to the poor soul, and checked for a pulse with his left hand. He breathed a sigh of relief when he found one. He turned back to the direction of the noise just in time to watch a portal of crimson energy dissipate before his eyes.

He sighed.

"Twenty years as a huntsman, and I still keep findin' weird shit."

He didn't know much about portals, but he could look into that later. Right now he needed to focus on the torn up kid at his feet.

He was dressed strangely. An all grey outfit with black gloves and combat boots and a belt, and when Aureolin turned him over there was a black half shattered domino mask that covered his eyes, making his right eye seem entirely white.

Despite the fact that he looked like he'd just been through hell, something about his face made him look familiar to Aureolin. He removed the mask and promptly dropped it as he gasped in shock.

There in his arms sat the spitting image of his son. A few years older, and looking like he'd been repeatedly hit with a bus, but still his son.

There was no hesitation from there. He scooped the boy up in his arms, and ran as fast as he could back to his car. He laid the boy in the back of his beat up grey sedan, and all but threw himself into the driver's seat.

As he pulled away, he gave one last glance to the headstone and noted the inscription.

"_Here lies Jonquil Marcellus. A ray of light, snuffed out too soon."_

* * *

Sofi Marcellus sat on her couch, draped in a well worn blanket, reading an old storybook. Or, at least, she was trying to read it; her eyes took in no information as they drifted over the familiar words she'd read aloud on so many nights when Jonquil was a boy. Now it was one of her only tethers to that simpler time.

When her scroll rang the first time, she ignored it. She didn't want to leave her mourning right now. When it rang the second time she sighed and looked at the caller ID.

It was Aureolin, who'd called both times and was still trying to reach her.

She placed the book down, and answered the call and placed the device to her ear.

"I told you I don't want—"

"_No time! I need you to get the med kit ready! I've already called Burnie, he says he'll be there in a few hours."_

He was using his "huntsman voice," which left no room for protest. It still impressed her how serious he could get in the right situation. She rushed to the kitchen and retrieved the item from the medicine cabinet.

"Were there Grimm?" She asked with concern.

Graveyards were kept far from most civilized areas, due to the amount of sorrow the constant reminder of human frailty brings most people, and were therefore much more susceptible to Grimm attacks when people were present.

"_No, something weirder. I think it might attract them if you're not prepared for it."_

She raised an eyebrow at this. Ever since they graduated from Sanctum together, Aureolin had been fairly competent in gauging the reactions of others.

"What is it?"

He didn't answer right away, instead letting the engine of his car whine into the speaker for a moment as he, no doubt, thought of a way to phrase his next words.

"_I found a kid. I don't know how Sof, but I think the gods have pulled one out for us."_

That definitely caught her attention. Her husband wasn't one to fool around when it came to the supernatural. He took care to avoid fae rings and imp huts, and often left scraps of leftovers deep in the woods to avoid their ire.

"_Jonquil's _alive_, Sof. I don't know how, but he's in my car and he's hurt'n bad."_

Sofi felt like she'd been slapped.

Jonquil, her son, alive. It was too good to be true. But Aureolin had never lied to her before, and he would never toy with her emotions like this.

She looked to the discarded book on her end table. The book filled with noble heroes getting their heart's desire after lifetimes of sacrifice and hardship.

She thought that maybe, just once, they were coming true.

* * *

Aureolin rubbed his wife's shoulders absentmindedly as his former partner, and battle brother, Auburn Brisk, looked over the unconscious child in their son's bedroom.

Brisk may have been a huntsman by trade, but he was an unparalleled field medic, and had save both their lives on more than one occasion. He was a short, thin man with dark skin, copper hair that was beginning to grey at the sideburns, and rectangular glasses that framed his dark blue eyes. He wore a brown bomber jacket with orangish brown fur, and dark red trousers held up by a belt full of throwing knives..

The medic returned to the hallway and took off his glasses to wipe them off.

"I don't know what to tell you Aur. He's the spitting image of Jon, but something's off about him."

Aureolin gripped a little tighter, though not enough to hurt Sofi.

"Off how."

Burnie motioned to the boy.

"First off, his aura's not unlocked."

The couple gave him similar confused looks and he continued.

"Not like it's been lost, more like he never had it in the first place. Weirder though, he's the fastest healer I've ever seen, and I can't get in to take a blood sample."

He walked back into the room, and motioned for them to follow. Then he removed one of his knives and used the blade to make a cut into the boy's exposed arm, much to Sofi's protest.

Aureolin looked like he was about to question his best friend, when the blade bent against his flesh.

Burnie continued.

"Aur, I'm as relieved as you that he's alive, but I'd be careful around him when he wakes up. Something tells me he won't take seeing you two well."

Sofi was mildly offended by Burnie's insinuation, but had to remind herself that his semblance allowed him to read emotions.

She nodded to him.

"Thanks Burnie."

The man smiled weakly.

"Anything for a friend."

* * *

Sunlight hit his eyes, and Jonathan winced when his arm cam up to block it. He let out a groan as he felt bruises and ruptures he didn't know he could get. He laid his arm back down for a few second, before bolting upright in the bed. He looked around the room in a panic, and began hyperventilating when it was a layout he was unfamiliar with.

The noise had drawn some attention because seconds later he heard footsteps pounding the floor as they grew nearer. The door flew open to reveal a woman in her late forties with bright blonde hair and piercing blue eyes.

"Mom?" He asked in a broken voice.

The woman threw herself at him and wrapped him in a firm hug that felt so familiar, and yet unsettling at the same time.

He looked to the doorway to see a man who was slightly older than her leaning against the door with a smile that seemed to stretch his face from disuse. Jonathan thought the man looked exactly like his father, save for one difference:

At the end of his tee shirt, a gleaming silver arm hung from the man's side, metal fingers running through a concentration exercise Jonathan's own father had taught him years ago.

With speed that neither adult seemed to anticipate, Jonathan removes himself from the woman's arms and flipped into a fighting stance beside the bed. He hadn't intended to do a flip, it just sort of happened when her tried to roll off the bed.

"Where am I?" He demanded, holding back a wince as his newly healed body reacted to the sudden movement.

The woman, who looked so much like his mother and yet so different, stood up slowly with her hands raised.

"It's okay Jonquil. You're safe."

Jonathan didn't move. He definitely didn't feel safe. He looked back to the metal limb, then to his not father, and then his not mother. He looked around the room, painted a pale blue like his own room.

His eyes widened in fear for the briefest second, before he rushed out of the room.

Aureolin's replacement eye allowed him to witness things at a faster rate, but it wasn't enough to catch his son's doppelgänger as the boy crossed the room and slid past him in less than a second. He bolted after him, only to watch a streak of multicolored light speed around the living room pulling things off shelves and putting them back just as the sound of rustling pages reached his ear.

Jonathan vaguely notes that he felt faster here, but it was eclipsed by the feeling of growing dread as he read over magazines and books at half the speed of sound. He stopped when he spotted a picture over the mantle. It depicted the people who'd come to him when he'd awoken, as well as a boy with dirty blonde hair and brown eyes.

He fell to his knees. He kept staring at the cruel reflection staring back at him, and cried out in despair as the truth hit him with all the force of a collapsing building:

He was in an alternate universe.

* * *

Aureolin watched as the blur came to a stop in the center of their living room, eyes fixed on the old family portrait they'd taken nearly two years ago. When the boy dropped to his knees and let out the most anguished scream he'd ever heard, Aureolin let instinct take over. No longer was this kid his last hope of seeing his dead son again, he was a child who was hurting, who needed someone to be there as he wept. So he would be that person. He rushed to the side of the boy and held him close, letting the child, who looked so much like the son he lost, cry his heart out onto his shoulder.

The boy didn't pull away this time, and continued to let loose his torrent of emotions into the older man's shoulder. When Sofi joined them and began to rub small circles on the boy's back, his sobbing became less vocal, but still wracked his body with tremors.

The trio didn't move until late into the morning

* * *

**And here we are again, Happy Single's Awareness Day Y'all. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. So Jon's in Remnant now, things will progress a little slowly from here. I'm going to try and ease him into this, like someone who just witnessed their entire planet get blown up, and then watched their parents be murderd in front of them probably would. I've seen a lot of stories where people jus rush into the meat of the crossover without any real setup of how their character's presence changes things, and there's nothing wrong with that. But My version of Remnant is going to be a little different than Cannon Remnant.**

**You see, Jon is pretty powerful at his best. He's nowhere near there yet, but having about nine years of superheroing under your belt is a pretty distinct advantage, even in a world where everyone has the potential to be bulletproof.  
TL;DR: Things won't start poping off for a while now so sit tight. We'll get some RWBY characters in here soon enough.**

**'Till next time guys.**


	3. Grimm Encounters Pt 1

"So…you're not Jonquil."

It wasn't a question, it was Sofi coming to terms with the fact that this boy sitting across from her at the kitchen table was not her son.

When he'd finally stopped crying, Aureolin had asked the boy if he'd "Like something to eat," and while he'd initially refused the offer, a particularly loud growl of the boy's stomach betrayed him. After that, her husband had refused to take no for an answer and set about making them the "Recovery Breakfast." It was a collection of waffles, fresh fruit, eggs, toast, and juice that the older man had started cooking at Sanctum for his team after especially rough missions, and continued to make for Sofi and himself during their professional career. Considering how he'd found the boy, he decided it was required.

They now sat at the large oak table that took up a generous amount of kitchen space in front of the large bay window. Their positioning only serving to highlight the similarities between this mystery boy and their own son, as he sat in the same chair that Jonquil had chosen as his own for breakfast allowing the afternoon sun to dance through his dirty blond hair.

The boy finished swallowing a large forkful of waffle, that he was obviously trying to not tear through too fast, and shook his head before replying in a hoarse voice.

"My name is Jon_athan_."

Aureolin nodded slowly, setting down his own fork as he spoke to the boy.

"Well Jonathan, it's good to meet you. I'm sorry about the kidnaping, you just look so much like our boy that I thought…well."

Jonathan winced slightly.

"I'm sorry."

Sofi placed a hand on his shoulder and rubbed it with her thumb.

"Don't be. It's not your fault."

He gave her a weak smile and took another bite.

"So where are you from, kid?" Asked the patriarch.

"Springfield."

Sofi tapped a finger against her chin.

"Can't say I've heard of it. Is it far from Mistral?"

The younger blond quirked a brow at her.

"Where's Mistral?"

The couple shot each other surprised looks, wondering how this boy managed to keep getting stranger.

"It's in the near center of Sanus, did your village not teach you where the four kingdoms are?"

Jonathan shook his head slowly as he tried to puzzle out what miss Sofi was talking about.

Aureolin pulled out a small device that he expanded to reveal a transparent backed screen. He scrolled around a wheel for a moment, then selected a picture of some sort and slid it over to him.

The image was a map. It had four major continents on it, as well as a larger island located in the southeast. The shape of the continents allowed for only one two oceans, with a large sea splitting the two largest.

Sofi pointed towards a point on the eastern continent.

"That's Mistral."

Jonathan's eyes widened and he froze in place as panic took hold once again in his heart. He could maybe (barely) handle being in another universe, but one that was so far removed from his own reality… He wasn't sure what to make of this. His breath became short, his chest burned, and he felt as though the whole world were shaking around him.

Somewhere in the distance a wolf howled. Jonathan payed it no mind, but Aureolin and Sofi glanced back to each other with worry.

"Son, I need you to calm down." Said Aureolin.

But it was pointless. Jonathan had gone from quiet shock to muttering incomprehensible things to himself. Aureolin closed his eyes in resignation and turned to his wife.

"He's having a panic attack. Try and calm him down, while I fend off the Grimm."

Sofi nodded, rising to kiss him on the cheek as he left for their bedroom. She turned back to the poor boy, who was so deep in the throws of his terror that she doubted even Burnie could calm him now.

She pulled Jonathan's chair out from the table and got on her knees to look him in the eye. She remembered having to deal with lost children during missions, and drew from those experiences to try and calm him.

"Jonathan? Jonathan, I need you to listen to me. You're safe here. I know you're lost right now, but we're going to do everything we can to get you home."

Unfortunately any progress that she was making was undone at the word home. Jonathan's breathing became more shallow, and the shaking that permeated throughout his body became more intense. He gripped the sides of the chair with such force that the wood began to splinter.

Sofi's own panic increased, and she silently hoped that Aureolin was having better luck than her.

* * *

The _**whump**_ of his hammer's head as it crashed through a beowulf had always been a satisfying noise to Aureolin. He always thought that for every time he heard that sound, a family was kept together.

_**Whump.**_

A boy returned to the arms of his mother.

_**Whump.**_

A farmer's livelihood was kept safe.

_**Whump.**_

One less death he had to watch scroll by on the evening news.

As one of the many beowolves he'd encountered since he'd left swung it's claws at him, he brought his prosthetic up to block the impact. The sound of bony claw raking against tempered steel echoed throughout the forest. With his left hand, he brought the bottom of his hammer up to the Grimm's chest and pushed the small button that acted as a trigger. A crystal of light Dust was activated, and a hole was burned through the monster's abdomen. He used the force of the blast to whirl around and slam the hammer's large square head into another incoming beowulf, sending it through a tree. He grunted as some of the pack ran past him, trying to get to the source of intense sorrow currently sitting at his table. He pressed another button and took an overhand swing at the escaping pack members. The head of the hammer dislodged itself from the shaft and flew towards the head 'wulf on a long chain. It found its mark, and Aureolin used the chain to bring himself to the head and catapult past it into another beowulf.

He sighed as the remaining Grimm kept rushing towards his house, and let out a groan as a pair of ursai knocked over some trees as they ran past. This was a larger horde than he'd been expecting, and while he was a seasoned huntsman once could have finished them off with relative ease, he was also rapidly approaching his golden years. As much as he hated to admit it age was catching up to him, and no amount of hair dye and mechanical enhancement would ever truly bring him back to his prime.

He fired a few more shots at the pack, and charged after them. Through the trees he could make out the clearing that surrounded his home and he silently prayed that he would be able to take them all before they reached it.

As he closed the distance between himself and the horde, he leapt into the air and brought his weapon down on the back of an unsuspecting ursa. The beast hit the ground with a crash, but its thicker hide allowed it to take the blow with only minor damage. Aureolin used this momentum to vault himself in front of the lead ursa; he reared back his hammer and sent the monstrosity into the air. While it was falling he took a few more shots at the beowolves, taking three more out, and positioned himself in a heavy wind up so that his hammer touched his heels. When the black bear returned to eye level he let loose the swing with all his might and sent it flying into its fellow ursa and through a few trees.

From behind him he heard glass shatter, followed by a familiar pistol shot. His eyes widened in fear and he turned as fast as he could and ran towards the house.

* * *

Jonathan barely registered the shock of being tackled to the ground, his mind was still reeling with panic. He was in a place completely different to any he'd ever been. He'd crossed over to other universes before (though never without friends or family), he knew they were a common thing, but in every universe he'd visited things had always been familiar. The Earth always formed the same basic countries, had the same major wars, had similar people in positions of power… Everything from Alexander the Great, to Waterloo happened as he'd learned in school.

But this world was different. It apparently lacked the diverse range of countries he'd visited as Chromium, and instead had only four kingdoms. The planet looked like it had been designed by a madman: no Americas, no Asia, No Africa.

He wished his parents were with him. Or his friends on the Young Warriors. He wanted anyone to go through this with.

"Jonathan, listen to…"

He picked up a voice on the edge of his senses. It sounded like his mother.

Slowly he brought his vision back into focus. It wasn't his mother, it was miss Sofi. She looked worried. Her mouth moved rapidly but whatever words came out, he couldn't hear. Every now and then She'd look off to her left and do something that caused the buzzing in his ears to shift. His entire body felt numb, like it had fallen asleep with him conscious. He didn't like it.

Sofi became more and more hurried in her speech, and Jonathan vaguely noted that they were no longer in the kitchen. He strained his hearing to try and pick up on her words.

"…don't know what's wrong with you…need you to come back to us. Aureolin's…Grimm, and if you don't focus up, you could die."

That caught his attention. Jonathan began to slowly look back at the kitchen, where he saw Aureolin struggling against a giant black werewolf with bones protruding from its face and arms. Something in his gut clicked into place, now was not the time for panic. These people, who had found him and taken him into their care, were in trouble. It didn't matter were he was, he still had his powers, and people still needed help.

Time slowed to a crawl around him. He rose from where he lay prone on the ground, and charged into the kitchen. He grabbed the creature by the back of the neck and tossed it back out the window. It tumbled a few yards then righted itself onto its haunches. It let out a shrill howl, and more werewolves with no bony features joined it in the yard. Jonathan felt the light build up in his hands, he aimed them at the head creature and violet energy shot forward. The wolf staggered back, its body smoking slightly.

Jonathan vaulted over the ledge of the now shattered window, the shards of broken glass doing nothing to pierce his hand. A strange sensation tugged at his stomach, as if he was being tethered to each of the wolves. He stepped out into the semicircle created by the werewolves, and let the energy build up in his hands once again. Some of the closer wolves charged at him, and he released a blast at each of them knocking them back and singing their fur. The light in his hands became a darker indigo color and he felt the intensity of the light increase. Another wolf charged at him and was met with a blast, this time having a small hole burned through its upper chest. It howled in pain, but seemed largely unaffected by the blast.

Jonathan realized that whatever these things were, they were not alive. A malicious grin crossed his lips as he fired shot after shot at the creatures, his high end ultraviolet shots slicing cleanly through the creatures' hides. They continued to charge at him, and one after the other fell over as their bodies began to disintegrate. One wolf managed to avoid the onslaught of blueshifting blasts, and got close enough to take a swing at his head. Jonathan leapt to the side and found himself again surprised at the sensation of weightlessness as he jumped farther and higher than he'd intended. As he landed he extended his hand and let out another blast aimed for his attacker.

It hit its mark, but Jonathan recoiled his arm in pain as the alpha wolf sliced through his exposed flesh. He looked down at the wound to see his speed healing do its job, but the pain was still there. He'd inherited a heavy dose of invulnerability from his father, which meant that these creatures had to be magical in origin if they could pierce his skin. He grimaced as he returned his attention to the alpha and last wolf. It again charged him and Jonathan blasted it back with a beam from both hands. But the alpha had learned from its brethren that the beams could pierce its hide; it brought its bony forearms up to absorb the blow, but was still sent back by the force. The alpha dug its claws into the dirt to stop itself, then slowly began marching its way through the beam.

Jonathan grit his teeth and focused on the light. His blast's intensity grew, and the color changed from deep indigo to a brilliant blue as he left ultraviolet behind and entered the X-ray spectrum.

The wolf couldn't withstand the energy pouring from its opponent, and let out a final howl as it dissolved into nothingness.

Jonathan breathed a sigh of relief and let the light dissipate. He felt the feeling in his stomach disappear with the alpha, and a sense of calm come over him. It was disrupted when he turned back to the house and saw Aureolin and Sofi staring at him, slack-jawed. He laughed nervously as he came back to the house.

"I probably have some explaining to do."


	4. Grimm Encounters Pt 2

The violet of Norra's visor provided him little protection from the harsh red landscape that surrounded him as he trekked through the seemingly endless desert. Under normal circumstances he would have left this universe already and returned to his homeworld to console the families of the brave men and women who had been killed when another version of Jonathan Marcellus had so callously blown apart the engine room of the _I.S.S. Dolorous_, but he felt a strange sensation tugging at his stomach.

Something was on this world. Not powerful enough to warrant harvesting in the manner he'd become accustomed to doing, but as he was now it would be only a minor detour to investigate.

The tug became stronger, and he sensed a creature approaching him from behind. He turned slowly to see a large werewolf-like creature staring curiously at him. It clearly wasn't a real werewolf, it had no internal structure from what he could sense, rather it was a fairly impressive golem of shadow and bone.

The golem let out a low howl and prostrated itself before him as a pack of similar creatures crested the ledge of the shallow canyon he was in and did the same. One of the summoned was larger, and had bone plates sticking to it that were covered in what appeared to be runes that glowed brighter as it approached him.

Norra was even more impressed at this. Whoever had created these golems had infused a seed of near sentience within them, and was therefore a rather powerful mage. But no such presence did he sense on this world.

He leaned towards the larger golem.

"Where did you come from?"

The beast rose from the ground and pointed a long clawed finger in the direction of the canyon's end.

Norra smirked beneath his mask and turned in the direction the golem had indicated. He gestured with his axe, which he used as a staff, in the same direction

"Lead me."

The creature responded to the command, and signaled with a howl for the pack to follow. It led him through nearly six miles of barren wasteland, never tiring, never once having its attention diverted from its task.

'_Truly a feat of great wizardry'_, thought the masked man.

Finally, it let him through the canyon to a great ravine, where a castle atop the ridge overlooked the dozens of large, tar-like puddles that covered the ravine's floor. Occasionally one of the puddles would surge with arcane energy, and spit out a mass of darkness that took the shape of a creature, either another werewolf or a bear or deer sized raven. Each new creature also bowed to him as he passed.

He could sense several presences in the castle, one far more powerful than the others, and one that was circling around behind him. He used the enhanced vision he'd stolen from one victim or another to look into the large cathedral-like window that faced him.

A large tanned man was watching him with mild curiosity and annoyance. Every so often he would glance in the direction of the outside presence, making sure it was unnoticed.

Norra felt a sense of vindictive glee come over him. These fools believed they could kill or capture him. He let out a short chuckle at the thought.

The presence was getting closer now, running at him with speed that would rival that of olympic sprinters. It leapt high into the air behind his back, and prepared to deliver a savage blow.

How surprised the man must have been when he was snatched out of the air like a foul ball, and held aloft by Norra's right hand. He was dressed in a long leather coat that remained unbuttoned as to show his chest and stomach, the former of which had the letter A carved into it. A few leather straps crossed his torso, and one held up the pair of white trousers that the would be assassin wore. His boot clad feet kicked in the air as he struggled for breath, while a long brown tail tipped with an insectoid stinger lunged at Norra's face.

Norra was unphased by the attack, though he was intrigued the extra appendage. A physical mutation perhaps? He brought the man closer to his helmet and stared deep into his eyes, searching them for information.

"It is unwise to challenge a god, Tyrian Callows."

The man's yellow eyes widened and he ceased his flailing. He began trying to sputter out something, but it was hard to understand through the choking.

Norra grimaced beneath his mask. The man's mind had held very little information that was useful to him at the moment, but it had given him the names and faces of those currently in the castle. This Salem woman was whom he believed to have created these "Grimm" as they were apparently called.

With as little effort as one might give when tossing a paper ball into a waste basket, Norra threw the man from the ravine into the large window that the larger man had been watching him from. He could sense the confusion and fear coming from the castle and rolled his shoulders; perhaps he would play with these fools a while before ripping the knowledge he sook from their heads.

* * *

Sofi paced across the living room, running her hands over her face as she tried to comprehend what the child and her husband had sheltered were telling her.

"So not only do alternate realities exist, but _you_" she gestured to Jonathan, "are supposedly our son from another dimension?"

Jonathan nodded.

"Technically an alternate universe, but-"

"But nothing! You can't seriously expect us to believe that."

Sofi's voice echoed throughout the newly trashed living room. Causing Aureolin to rise from the couch and place a hand on his wife's shoulder.

"He's not lying Sof. I saw the portal, and we both saw what he's capable of out there." He turned her head to meet his eyes. "It's the only thing that makes sense."

Sofi's gaze softened for a second, before reforming into a much angrier visage.

"No. I am not putting up with this." She wheeled on Jonathan. "I don't care who you claim to be, you don't get to show up here, wearing my son's face and claim that 'alternate timelines' or whatever are real."

Jonathan's face fell, and he opened his mouth to explain.

"Save it!" Yelled Sofi. "You're not my son. I owe you nothing." She turned to storm out of the room, stopping just past the door frame. "Get out of my house." She said over her shoulder before continuing down the hall and into her bedroom.

Aureolin placed a hand on Jonathan's shoulder. "Maybe it's for the best if you find somewhere else to stay."

Jonathan nodded with closed eyes, holding back the tears that threatened to run down his face.

In an effort to do something of comfort for the boy, Aureolin walked into Jonquil's former room and emerged with a small bundle of clothes.

"These should fit you, at least until you get something other than that mess to wear." He said, motining to Jonathan's torn costume.

Jonathan nodded again. "Thank you."

* * *

Hazel had come to see many strange and impossible things since he'd joined Salem's kabal, but this man seemed to be topping that list. He was under the impression that only his mistress could command the Grimm. Apparently he was mistaken.

Norra was standing across the room from him, surrounded by a small group of Grimm that had followed him through some sort of portal. At his feet lay the beaten and broken form of Tyrian, which he regarded with little more than feigned interest. His emotions were concealed behind his helmet as he walked through the room, turning his head to look at the sparse decor of the meeting room: the large stone table that glowed with an ethereal violet light, the intricately carved white-oak chairs, the candles that were slowly covering the dark crystal pillars they sat upon in bright cream wax.

"You are Hazel Rainart, correct?" Questioned Norra, without so little as a glance thrown his way. His voice was measured and confident, letting the other man know just how unwise it would be to cross him.

"Yes." Answered Hazel, through gritted teeth.

Norra nodded, mostly to himself, as he continued to examine the room, and Salem's crystal throne in particular.

"Good, good. Call this "Salem" to me. I would like to speak with her." He turned his back to the larger man and strolled casually back to the head of the table.

Hazel sneered.

"What makes you think I could order her here?"

Norra sat down in the throne, finally making eye contact as he did.

"When the dogs and guards have failed, it falls to the master to defend his own home." As if to emphasize his point, one of the alpha Beowulf's crawled under the table and laid itself at the invader's feet. "Mister Callows seemed to think you would be the most open to negotiations of your little party. So tell me Mister Rainart, would you prefer to be dead when I confront your master, or alive?"

Hazel narrowed his eyes and pulled a golden lightning dust crystal from a small pocket inside his vest.

"Going to her without even trying to dispatch you would be a death sentence itself."

Norra nodded slowly, though his attention seemed to be focused more on the crystal in Hazel's hand than Hazel himself.

"Of course. I don't hold your obligations against you."

Hazel plunged the crystal deep into his arm, letting the energy flow through him. Then, with speed uncharacteristic of a man his size, charged at Norra.

The despot held out a hand, palm up, at the mountain of a human being racing towards him from which sprouted a small white lotus flower. He crushed it in his hand, and threw the powder in Hazel's face.

Hazel was merely annoyed at first, but as he drew closer to Norra he found his rage beginning to ebb. Then he thought of Salem: she'd yet to fulfill her promise of revenge upon Ozpin. Why should he do her bidding? He found himself slowing, and, as he reached Norra, he stopped completely and laid down on the floor, which seemed rather comfortable all of the sudden.

As the bear of a man lay down before him, Norra turned to the broken form of Tyrian.

"It would seem I need to retrieve your mistress myself."

"No. You do not."

The voice that spoke was dangerously calm, like the eye of a hurricane where power surrounded you completely but was yet to harm you.

Norra looked back to the hall's entrance, where a rather alluring creature now stood. She was of average height for a human, with skin the color of snow, black eyes with blood red irises, and red veins characteristic of those who wield the arcane running up her face. She wore a black floor length gown with sleeves that connected to a small cape sewn into her dress. Her Hair was put up into a complicated design that seemed almost to defy gravity.

She strode into the hall with the same confidence that Norra had not moments before, stopping just past the other end of the table. "I did not expect your return to be so soon. But know that whether I possess the Relics or not…" She pulled her hands into a fighting stance, and two blades of ebony magic formed by her will.

"I am still ready to face you."

* * *

**A/N: Alright. So I should probably start out by saying I'm sorry this took so long. I've been trying to write this chapter for a while now, and every time I did I hated it. So I took a break, got my head on right, and found my muse. I'm going to try for regular updates again, but we'll see what happens. (I also renamed the last chapter because I didn't like the name anymore)**

**That being said, let's talk story. Salem and her lakeys are the first cannon characters introduced, but don't worry we should be getting into the trailers within the first ten chapters, and another character will appear sooner than that with a major role in the story. I didn't want to go the typical way of "character gets thrown through a portal into the Emerald Forest and immediately accepted into Beacon" for this fic, so I'm hoping this is more entertaining for y'all. I know the chapter length is rather short right now, but once we get into Vol. 1 proper, that should change.**

**Any constructive criticism y'all wish to provide is appreciated, as well as any questions you have.**

**See y'all next time.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey y'all, it's me. This isn't a true update, more of an explanation of how things will be going forward.**

**First off, this story is NOT dead. I've invested too much time into it to just quit on this one. However, I don't like how I set this up anymore. I've realized that all four chapters of this story contain next to nothing inherently RWBY, and that isn't great, so...**

**I'll be posting a new version of this story, titled Chromium: ****_Clash of Steel_****, sometime soon that will pick up at the beginning of the Beacon schoolyear.**

**Lastly, I'd like to apologise for closing a Third story. I feel like I have these great ideas, and then don't know how to make them work fully. Hopefully this will be the last of that, but we'll see.**

**Thank you, and God bless.**


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